Footage shown by Libyan TV, which cannot be verified, shows the three crew members sitting in an office with Libyans and sipping canned drinks.

A helicopter with Dutch naval markings can be seen parked on sand as gunmen cheer and wave their weapons around it.

When a heavy machine gun and belt of bullets are displayed, an on-screen caption in Arabic says: “According to the [Saudi-backed] broadcaster al-Arabiya, this helicopter was sent to rescue people, but we can see something else here.